Stone Conservation: Principles and Practice

353 Pages·2015·24.438 MB·English

by  Alison Henry

Stone Conservation
Principles and Practice
Page Intentionally Left Blank
Stone Conservation
Principles and Practice
Edited by
ALISON HENRY
Managing Editor
JILL PEARCE
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Group
LONDON AND NEW YORK
First published 2006 by Donhead Publishing Ltd
Published 2015 by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© Taylor & Francis 2006
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are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
ISBN-13: 978-1-873394-78-6 (hbk)
Typeset by Aarontype
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Stone conservation: principles and practice
1. Stone buildings - Conservation and restoration
2. Building stones - Biodeterioration
I. Henry, Alison
691.2
ISBN-10: 1873394780
Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
Foreword xi
John Ashurst
1 Introduction 1
Alison Henry
2 The Historical Context 9
Peter Burman and Michael Drury
Introduction 9
The influence of antiquity 10
The break in tradition 13
Re-evaluating tradition 13
The influence of the Modern Movement 23
The continuity of craft practice today 24
International conservation charters and standards 28
Complementary disciplines 28
Guidelines for present and future policy 29
3 Restoration versus Conservation 33
Michael Drury
Restoration 33
Preservation 36
Conservation 38
Case study: Salisbury Cathedral, West Front 49
4 The Role of Archaeology 57
Jerry Sampson
The role of archaeology in stone conservation 58
Preliminary survey 61
Closer inspection 63
Monitoring work in progress 69
vi STONE CONSERVATION
5 Principles and Practice 75
Nicholas Durnan and Colin Muir
Inspection, analysis and methodology 75
Repair and conservation 79
Stone replacement 85
Conservation records 87
6 Sourcing and Selection of Stone for Repair 89
Ewan Hyslop
Introduction 89
The decision to replace stone 89
The choice of stone 91
Testing of stone 93
Sourcing of stone from quarries 96
Conclusion 98
7 Consolidation 101
Clifford Price
Introduction 101
Historical perspective 103
Properties and performance requirements 104
Consolidant types 105
Application of consolidants 116
Evaluating the effectiveness of consolidants 118
When are consolidants used? 120
The future 122
8 Cleaning Techniques 127
Kyle C. Normandin and Deborah Slaton
Introduction 127
Causes and identification of soiling 128
Stone properties and choice of cleaning method 132
Selection of cleaning techniques for stone 136
Quality control and the evaluation of facade cleaning 155
Conclusion 156
9 Limestone 161
Nicholas Durnan
Introduction 161
Characteristics of limestone 162
Main types of limestone decay 163
Techniques for limestone conservation 166
Inspection, maintenance and re-treatment 184
CONTENTS vii
Sandstone 191
Colin Muir
Introduction 191
Sandstone characteristics 192
Sandstone decay and treatment 192
Cleaning 205
Consolidation 210
Pointing and bedding mortars 211
Plastic repair 212
Marble 217
Jonathan Kemp
Introduction 217
Marble decay mechanisms 222
Conservation of marble 226
Polychrome Stone 237
Christopher Weeks
Introduction 237
Monumental polychromy in medieval and Renaissance culture 237
Polychromy techniques and style 238
Distribution of polychromed facades in Europe 243
The contemporary state of preservation of painted stone 244
Practical issues of conservation 247
Treatment 248
Conclusions: future trends 255
Church Monuments 263
David Carrington
Introduction 263
Materials commonly used 263
The historic building environment 270
A brief history of monument restoration and conservation 270
Investigation and analysis 273
The need for structural interventions 276
Dealing with damp 2 77
Considerations in cleaning monuments 278
Dismantling, rebuilding and structural repairs 278
Surface repair and consolidation 286
Case studies 287
viii STONE CONSERVATION
14 Graveyard Memorials 299
Chris Daniels
Introduction 299
Deterioration of graveyard structures 300
Inspecting, reporting and recording 306
Working on site 308
Remedial work 310
Emergency work to graveyard structures 322
Maintenance 324
Conclusion 325
Appendix 327
Practical application procedures for putty lime mortar repairs
and sheltercoat
Index 329
Acknowledgments
The Publisher and the Editor would like to offer their gratitude to Peter
Burman for the original ideas which inspired this book. It emerged from
Peter’s insight that the annual Stone Conservation course at the University
of York offered a snapshot of the art and science of conserving stone
structures. Peter’s enthusiasm for the project had as its inspiration the
remarkable late twentieth-century flowering of the conservation of
traditional materials in cathedrals and country houses. Peter was also at
that time the founder chairman of both the Building Limes Forum in the
UK, and the York Art Workers’ Association, and a past master at bring-
ing together architects, art historians, craftsmen, conservators, artists
and other professionals in a relationship which enabled the whole to be
greater than the sum of the parts; hence, this interdisciplinary book on
stone conservation.